Never Settle for Less No Matter Where You Live

From the moment you hire us as your Washington State personal injury lawyer, you can stop worrying about medical bills, lost work, insurance adjusters, damaged vehicles, and future expenses. You can concentrate on recovering physically and emotionally – we concentrate on your financial recovery. Our injury lawyers are compassionate, knowledgeable, and aggressive when it comes to fighting for your rights.

It costs nothing up front to hire us; we get paid when you do. Our team of Washington state personal injury attorneys travels throughout the state helping badly hurt people wherever they live. Contact us by calling 1-800-925-1875 or by completing our confidential contact form by clicking the link below.

Car Accidents

Justice for Your Car Accident Claim Is Available – But You Have to Demand It

The state of Washington is one of the nation’s safer places to drive. Not safe, mind you – just safer than most other states. Statistics fade into meaninglessness, however, once you become one of them.
A serious auto accident is a tragedy. However, tragedy becomes monstrous injustice when the injured person is not the one who caused the accident.
Washington has created a system designed to restore justice in this situation (at least as far as money damages are capable of restoring justice). The process is far from automatic, however.
Justice must be fought for and the arcane rules of liability, evidence, and civil procedure render enforcement a daunting prospect for an injured victim attempting to represent himself.

Most Car Accident Claims Are Resolved Out of Court

Washington offers three main ways for you to secure compensation in the event that you sustain an injury in a car accident:

Negotiation: Negotiation with an insurance company is the most common way of resolving a car accident claim. The end result is an enforceable settlement agreement.

Arbitration: Washington law requires you to arbitrate claims of less than $15,000 (less than $50,000 in some counties).

Trial: If your claim is large enough, and if you cannot reach a private settlement, a full-blown trial might be your only option. Claims proceed all the way to trial less than ten percent of the time.

Regardless of how you end up resolving your claim, the assistance of a seasoned Washington personal injury lawyer is likely to be critical.

Personal Injury

Enforcing Personal Injury Claims Is Not Just a Job – It’s Our Mission

The human body is a fragile, easily injured organism, and Washington personal injury law is designed to compensate victims who are injured due to the fault of another.
The meaning of “fault” varies depending on the claim – professional negligence (e.g., medical malpractice), ordinary negligence (e.g., car accidents) or strict liability (e.g., products liability and dog bites).

If you win your claim, you could be entitled to compensation for:

Past, present, and future medical bills;

Lost earnings or lost earning capacity;

Incidental expenses such as travel expenses to and from clinics; and

Pain and suffering, mental anguish, and/or other intangible losses.

Washington, unlike most states, does not allow punitive damages.

Washington’s “Pure Comparative Negligence” Rule

A few decades ago, U.S. courts would award a personal injury victim either all of his damages or none of them, even if he shared fault for the accident.
These days most states, including Washington, have adopted a “comparative negligence” rule that apportions fault between the parties and in some cases
allows a victim a partial recovery even if he was partially at fault.

There are three versions of “comparative fault” currently used by the various states. The version used in Washington is called “pure comparative negligence.”
Under this system, the victim loses whatever portion of his damages that equate to his own percentage of fault. Theoretically, then, he can recover one percent of his damages even if he was 99 percent at fault.

Washington’s comparative negligence regime is yet another reason why you are likely to need a lawyer to maximize your recovery.

Wrongful Death

Washington State Law Provides a Legal Remedy

The death of an injured accident victim is a tragedy. It is an outrage, however, when the death was caused by someone else’s wrongful conduct.
Washington wrongful death law allows a recovery under these circumstances, even if the defendant’s misconduct was not serious enough to warrant criminal charges.

A wrongful death claim is distinct from a personal injury claim, in that the goal is not to compensate the victim,
but to compensate close relatives and heirs of the victim. The following people can serve as plaintiffs in a wrongful death lawsuit:

The personal representative of the victim’s probate estate (representing heirs)

The victim’s spouse or domestic partner

Incidental expenses such as travel expenses to and from clinics; and

The victim’s children or stepchildren

The Death of a Child

If the victim is a child, either or both of the child’s parents may file a wrongful death lawsuit, as long as the parent regularly
contributed to the child’s financial support (e.g., a “deadbeat dad” might be disqualified). If the parents are separated and one parent files a lawsuit,
the other parent must be notified in time to join the lawsuit.

Damages

Damages from a wrongful death lawsuit are paid to the victim’s probate estate or, if the victim is a child it would be paid to the parents. Damages can include:

Funeral and burial expenses

The victim’s medical bills

The victim’s lost earnings

The victim’s pain and suffering

Loss of companionship, guidance, and other psychological benefits by family members.

Our Washington Personal Injury Attorneys

David Brown

In every case, with every client, I spend the time to talk straight about the law.

What is important to me is that I sit down and talk to each client about the law, to explain the law that applies to his or her case. It is important to me to spend this time because I want each client to understand all legal options and then let them choose which option is right for them. I want clients to feel that they are calling the shots in their case. When an injured client has all the information about the facts of their injury case and understands the legal rules that apply, they can make a decision that is best for them personally.

Paula McCandlis

I love the law because it is the one place where the individual can take on the corporation, and still get a fair fight.

The law lets me meet and work with so many interesting people with fascinating stories and histories. The law allows me to discuss legal issues from a layman’s perspective, a lawyer’s perspective, a judge’s perspective, and a philosopher’s perspective. I get to ask, answer, and think about the tough questions. And I get to take on the huge insurance corporations – and win.

Dean Brett

Dean uses his skills to truly help people move forward with their lives in a meaningful and lasting way.

Dean’s years of experience allow him to efficiently manage his cases to achieve a positive result as quickly as possible. At the same time, he is not willing to settle a case for less than its full value. Additionally, Dean is a Federal Magistrate Judge and a professional mediator, positions that give Dean a broader perspective on how the justice system works and on the best negotiating techniques. He knows how the insurance company operates, and what the defense will try to do to devalue a claim.

Matt Conner

Matt utilizes his expertise to help personal injury clients get the support they need to recover financially from an accident

Associate Attorney Matt Conner was raised in Bellingham and Ferndale. He received his undergraduate degree from Willamette University in Salem, with a double major in mathematics and economics, and then worked as an economist for the Office of Economic Analysis for the State of Oregon. He also gained additional professional experience in the fields of mortgage banking and real estate.

David Brown

Paula Mccandlis

Dean Brett

Matt Conner

Case Results

$100M+

3000+

97%

2500+

How Can the Washington State Personal Injury Lawyers at Brett McCandlis Brown & Conner Help You With Your Injury or Accident?

1) We help you get the best possible medical care available.

Getting you the medical care you need to recover is our top priority. As your advocates, we will work with the doctors, the medical facilities, the insurance companies, and all others to make sure that you receive the best care available for the treatment of your injuries.

2) We help you get your medical bills paid.

While you focus on getting well, our personal injury lawyers in Washington will make sure that all your bills are getting paid. We navigate the complex layers of insurance coverage to track your medical bills, obtain reimbursement of medical expenses, and optimize settlements to ensure that your current and future costs are fully covered.

3) We create a fund for future medical bills.

What if you still need help 20 years from now? Our experienced team of personal injury lawyers and paralegals in Washington State works closely with medical providers to obtain a settlement which provides for all possible medical costs that you may encounter in the future.

4) We get you fully compensated for your property loss.

Although you are entitled to be fully compensated for your losses, getting what's owed can be a struggle. As your Washington personal injury attorneys, we'll take on the insurance adjusters, repair shops, and auto-towing companies to make sure that you receive every dollar that is owed to you.

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When an accident results due to someone’s negligence and a loved one dies as a result, family members have the right to file what is called a “wrongful death” claim against the negligent party. Wrongful death claims are complicated. Therefore, if you are thinking of filing a lawsuit for a loved one’s death, you should…

We Want To Help

"From the moment you hire us, you can stop worrying about medical bills, lost work, insurance adjusters, damaged vehicles, and future expenses. You can concentrate on recovering physically and emotionally – we concentrate on your financial recovery."

Washington State Injury Lawyers – Brett McCandlis Brown & Conner

Contact Us Today.

Focus on recovering physically and emotionally - we concentrate on your financial recovery for you.

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